


Half-Formed Thoughts

by afteriwake



Series: In So Few Words [22]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Conversations, F/M, Gen, Happy Ending, Hospitals, Injured Orihime, Names, POV Kurosaki Ichigo, Worried Ichigo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-15
Updated: 2012-10-15
Packaged: 2017-11-16 08:30:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/537506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wondered if it was too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half-Formed Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> For **kathy20121** , who wanted Ichigo/Orihime fic with the prompt “What good does power do when it comes too late?” Went AU at chapter 458, so in this story Orihime was on the roof before the events of 459, which are incorporated in this story.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

He hadn't meant to hurt her. He needed to go after Tsukishima, and she was healing him and she was in the way so he _tried_ to move her and then she was confused for a moment and Tsukishima struck. Ginjou had said a second cut took away the implanted memories and her mind was clear and she ran, ran towards him, but Tsukishima was on her and...

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ginjou had fallen from that height and had been okay. But the _way_ she fell, she landed on her head and there had been a crack. Until she woke up they wouldn't be able to tell the extent of the damage. They were pretty sure she wasn't paralyzed. His father had been there, hopped off the roof and landed on his feet next to her and checked her out, but he hadn't moved her, and so maybe...

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Rukia was just a few moments too late. His powers were gone, and then they were back, but it was too late to save her. But when he got his powers back, oh, he got everything back. Hollow powers included. Ginjou hadn't known what had hit him. It had been a bloodbath, and then...

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

No one had tried to stop him. Tsukishima had seen it coming, but hadn't been fast enough to stop the feral creature from striking. Only then did Rukia try and calm him down, pointing out that if Tsukishima died his family and friends would never recover. She even went so far as to add they would probably hate him for killing him. And it got through. He reverted, but the damage had been bad, and he had...

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

He had murdered. Killing Hollows and Arrancar was one thing, and if he really wanted to justify it he could say he'd taken down a rogue shinigami and no one would bat an eye. But what he had done to Tsukishima was horrific, and the man was still alive, and Orihime wasn't there to heal him this time, because he'd pushed her off the roof and she fell and now...

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

“Kurosaki-kun?”

The whisper of his name brought him out of his brooding. He saw her lift up her hand. At least she could move her hand. She might not be badly hurt. He hoped. He'd been praying since the fight was over, since his friends were cured. “Inoue.”

“Is it over?” she asked, not opening her eyes.

“Yeah, it's over,” he said, taking her hand. “Can you...can you move your feet? Can you feel anything?”

“Yes,” she said, and as he looked down he saw movement under the sheet by her feet, and he relaxed.

“Good,” he said thickly, squeezing her hand.

“Could you call me Orihime?” she asked, opening her eyes and looking at him.

“Yeah, I can do that,” he said with a small grin. If that was what she wanted he'd give it to her. It was a small thing, not nearly enough to make up for failing her, but it was something. “I'm glad you're okay, Orihime.”

“I'm glad you are, too,” she said, shutting her eyes. He waited a few more moments, but the steady rise and fall of her chest signaled that she was sleeping. He could start working through his thoughts now that he knew she was okay, because for the moment, things were right in his world. Later. They could talk later.


End file.
